An Old Tree Falls
For Robert Bly He had gotten old last time I saw him, hair thinned white though with fire in his belly. He’d lit that fire for many, bringing wildness and passion to the prisoners of boredom. We won’t find another like him until we drop into the dark pool and recover the face resting in […]
Janitor in the House of Soul
As janitor in the house of soul, I work each night with broom and mop, pushing my old cart through the dream time. The body sleeps while I toil, vacuuming the worn books and shelves filled with records of relationship. There are lots of visitors to inquire about family stories, read the how-to books of […]
Soul Kitchen
Down I go once more into the soul kitchen where winter soup slowly cooks. All the heartache and worn out beliefs of the living and long gone simmer over a low flame in the iron cauldron, releasing the inedible up the spirit flume, melding the useful by ancient recipe to what will feed through solstice […]
Guided in the Dark
The ocean roared with strong winds, sheets of rain and white capped waves. I awoke in the night, gusts shaking the cabin, rattling my sleep, and now in dim morning light, I drop further into winter’s cave, wrapped in wool and warm by the fire. The ocean will have its way for months to come, […]
Walking Hand in Hand
Between the storms thick clouds break to reveal patches of blue and light to the east. The sound of the wind diminishes to near quiet leaving an absence to the ear, a sense of what is coming. We confirm with our eyes yet it is the invisible wind that moves the sea, the ubiquitous spirit […]
Campground of His Ancient Home
Digging through the underbrush he cut his way through thorns to the clean swath of river. Guarded by boulders and shear stone walls, the blue green water flowed protected and fast. Belly down on the gravel beach, he drank from the river, his thirst of many miles defeating all ceremony. In the far distance he […]
Hooked to Bedrock
Gray seas reflect the cloud filled skies as autumn light begins to fade along the northwest coast. Winter cold is settling in; winds increase into light gales with only gull and crow flying above the shore. I draw in with the forest, letting my soul find warmth by the inner fire as winter opens its […]
Storing Honey
Quiet and still the island rests, summer’s movement drawn to a close by the cool air and shortened days. Breathing in moisture, exhaling with the trees, I slow my desire for motion and sound. Layered with clouds life will find me at peace with giants beneath the earth, storing honey from waning light as the […]
Time of Descent
Darkened clouds cover the valley, welcome rains arriving with the turn of season. Gently comes the fall as vibrant green fades into russet and gold, a quiet time, not a death, a time of shedding leaves and descent into root. Even the old growth must yield, allowing life force the way back to the benevolent […]
Among Fallen Leaves
Equinox 2021 Clouds reach down to the gray sea, the waters calm on a windless morning. Trees begin their descent to root as autumn approaches, birds returning to the green grass of September. A full moon, orange and bright marks summer’s close, the time to leave the high branches and touch the ground once more. […]
Hole in the Clouds
Heron croaked taking flight, prehistoric wings and angular form reminders of another time. Like a hole in the clouds or stirring of the sea, I am part wind, part forest, part native to the water. I’ll tell you the story as I remember however incomplete. This is your home, body and blood, yet in the […]
Song of Freedom
Steel gray water like polished silver shines in the dull light of cloud filled skies. Dolphins feed the tide line, dorsal fins gracefully arcing as they surface and dive. I might seem to be alone yet I am bathed in a vast community, life it is in all directions that rises with the sun and […]
Across the Water
Ancient stones rise from the sea, black basalt topped by towering firs. Eagle perches in a crag, crow lands in a juniper calling to the morning. I’m old with muscle, root in hard to reach places. Let the sea look for me along the gravelly shore, the forest as I walk at night in fellowship […]
Freshwater Spring
Rain falls gently on the dry earth, the first relief approaching autumn. As water seeps to deeper roots I follow the rain through the unforgiven. Below the hardpan there is new life, waiting for moisture to rise and wear the green mantle. I must let go, receive the pardon grace bestows on the repentant, inviting […]
Sand Painted Mandala
Time will reveal its truth on the lonely highway rutted with errors we celebrate and enshrine. Only the humble will find a key to the portal, decode the mystery of the long unjust. Each stumbling step, each hesitant word tests our muscle yet we are not so old as age broken stone, not so brittle […]